When we learn to appreciate the world around us, we realize all things are mutually woven together and as a result have an affinity for each other.

Why should we think about this? What will it do?

It is important to understand how we are all connected and dependent on each other. Once we start thinking in this light it will prompt us to be good and do good for each other.

This idea of be sympathetic is such an important one because it is so easy to forget. It’s just simpler to think about and care about the people immediately around you. It’s tempting to get consumed by your own problems. It’s natural to assume you have more in common and the same interests as the people who look like you or live like you do. But that is an insidious lie – one responsible for monstrous inhumanity and needless pain.

When other people suffer, we suffer. When the world suffers, we suffer. In nature, we are all part of the same larger organism. We are all unified and share the same substance. We breathe the same air. We share the same hopes and dreams. We are all descended from the same long chain of evolution – and this is true no matter what race you are, no matter where you come from, or what you believe.

Becoming sympathetic to the world around doesn’t start at home. It starts with you and the positive environment you create.

By Brian Nadon